1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to signaling assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to signaling assemblies activatable by pets for signaling humans.
2. Related Art
Owners of pets often allow the pet to live primarily indoors and allow the pet to only occasionally exit the home unattended. The intervals at which the pet, such as a dog or a cat, are let outdoors are often dictated by the pet. For instance, many pets are well trained to relieve themselves only in the outdoors and so must be given frequent access to the outdoors according to the pet's biological needs. While pet doors and other devices have been provided that allow the pet to exit or enter the home at will, these devices are often problematic in that other, unwanted, animals or pets may use the doors to enter or leave the home. Such devices can also permanently alter doors and door frames, and many rental properties (i.e., apartments) disallow such devices for this reason. In addition, many pet owners may wish to limit the time a pet spends outdoors for considerations such as the pet's safety, nuisance noise the pet may generate, weather conditions, etc.
Due to these factors, many owners may rely on the pet to indicate when the pet wishes to enter or leave the home and personally attend to a door to let the pet into or out of the home. Because owners are often busy attending to other matters, they may not notice that a pet is standing by a door desiring to be let out or in. In such situations, the pet may become impatient and begin barking or otherwise creating noise, or, even more problematic, may begin scratching or pawing at the door in an effort to open the door or to signal to the owner the pet's desire to be let in or out. This can be problematic in that the pet can become a nuisance and can cause considerable damage to the door.
While pet activated signaling devices have been used in the past to allow a pet to indicate its desire to enter or exit a home, conventional pet signaling devices often must be permanently affixed to a housing structure. Permanent fixtures can be costly, due to the time and resources required for installation, and are prohibitive in that they cannot be easily moved and thereby used in connection with more than one door. Due to their immobile nature, conventional pet signaling devices cannot be used away from the home. Thus, in the case where a pet has been trained to use a signaling device, the pet may not have the opportunity to do so when taken on vacations, as the signaling device cannot be easily moved.
In addition, conventional pet signaling devices often utilize an audio signaling device that is remote from the signaling assembly. This can lead to more expensive and less reliable signaling systems, as the system includes a greater number of components and a correspondingly higher probability for failure of one or more components of the system. Also, audio signaling devices are limited in applications where either the human or the pet is hearing impaired.